Paranoia
by Tenshi3
Summary: A twisted story involving a girl with a dark past and her psychiatrist whose past is just as disturbing...
1. Prologue

bSynopsis/b: Squall Leonhart is a renowned psychiatrist prodigy and is  
  
known around the world to have cured everyone of his patients. Until he meets Rinoa  
  
Heartilly. Talking to Rinoa forces Squall to recover memories of his own morbid  
  
past...Memories that nearly tears him apart. So why doesn't he leave Rinoa? What's  
  
holding him back?  
  
*Prologue*  
  
He was the famous "miracle" psychiatrist, and she was a young woman  
  
cursed with a wretched life.  
  
He was an intelligent man and a diligent worker; he worked countless hours  
  
studying and working to push himself to the top. His childhood friends at first  
  
thought it unusual he chose psychology as an occupation, for he was quiet and  
  
introverted. They then realized why he did so well at his job: He was quick at  
  
recognizing the problem and then analyze it. His friends would then ponder: Why  
  
wasn't he quick at analyzing his last patient?  
  
She was an only child of her "father." At school, she hid behind a mask that  
  
fooled everyone around her. At home however, she was not the optimistic and  
  
mirthful girl everyone thought she was. Behind closed doors, she would cry under  
  
the pressures her home conceived. Home was where the "voices" overpowered her,  
  
convincing her that she was nothing. What was so bad that turned her this way?  
  
You may be wondering now, 'What is so important about these two?' What  
  
did these two share? Paranoia....  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
Heyz! Wellz, this is my third FFVIII fic, so yea...I know it's short, but prologues are supposed to be short!! And I don't like to write too long anyways; I don't like to spend too much time on one chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fic. It'll be interesting, I hope. I don't know if there are any FFVIII fics out there that focuses on mental institutions. If there are, please tell me! I like to read about those things... I'm scaring you now, huh ^^;;? ~Tenshi MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! 


	2. Here to Help

**~Paranoia~**

***Here to Help***

          Their footsteps echoed in the eerieely quiet hallway. There were doors on 

either side of the man and the nurse with bars that served as a prison to the 

mentally ill. But the man was used to all this; these kinds of institutions were like a 

second home to him. He was, after all, a psychiatrist. He was not your average 

psychiatrist, however. He was Squall Leonhart, a young prodigy who was known to 

cure all his patients. The world was shocked when they discovered his ability to 

quickly analyze the problems and solve them. Not only was he intelligent--he was 

also quite handsome. His brown hair was shaggy and often unkempt. His azure eyes 

gave a mysterious gaze and his face was always emotionless. 

          As they continued down the brightly-lit hallway, the man began to ponder 

what kind of problem his new patient harboured.

          "She won't eat or sleep," informed the nurse, breaking his train of thought. 

"All she does is sit in a corner and mumble to herself."

          The nurse gave a tired sigh as she stopped in front of a door.    

          "Room 65, patient number 01598, Rinoa Caraway," stated the nurse as she 

unlocked the door.

          "You can leave now," said Squall. The nurse hesitated.

          "...Ok...Um, here is the key to this room..." said the nurse, handing him the 

key. She left, still uncertain of her decision.

          Squall opened the door and walked inside. 

          "Rinoa Caraway?" he called, observing the bleak room. The room was bare, 

save for a bed and a thin blanket in the middle of the room. It was dark too, the only 

sources of light was the blinking lightbulb and a small window. He spotted a figure 

crouched in a corner of the room. He began to approach her.

          "Leave," she said hoarsely, her back still facing him. Squall ignored her 

demand and sat on the bed.

          "My name is Squall Leonhart. I'm here to help," he stated. 

          "Hmph. That's what they all say. In reality, they're actually saying, 'We want 

your father's money'," scowled Rinoa. Squall took a piece of paper from his pocket.

          "That may be true," agreed Squall. "But your friends are the ones paying 

me."

          Rinoa finally turned around with a surprised expression. Her skin was pale--

probably because she hadn't been outside the hospital for weeks. She had short, 

choppy hair--like she recently cut it herself. Squall noticed how tired she looked.

          "My friends...? But, how could they? They don't have that much money..." 

croaked Rinoa. Squall shrugged and handed her the paper.

          "Here's the check if you need the proof," said Squall. Rinoa stared at the 

paper. Then she looked up and glared at Squall.

[*][*][*][*]

          "Here, eat it." Rinoa just kept glaring at him.

          "I said I'll comply with the sessions. I never said anything about eating," said 

Rinoa, stubbornly. 

          "'Sides, I'm not hungry," added Rinoa. Squall sighed. She was a stubborn 

one--this would take longer than what he originally expected.

          Growl....

          Squall raised an eyebrow. Rinoa blushed.

          "...Okay. I guess I can this apple-" said Squall, lifting the apple to his lips. 

Rinoa, had gotten out of her seat and grabbed his hand.

          "Uh, on second thought, maybe I'll eat it..." said Rinoa, grinning nervously. 

Squall smirked and handed her the apple. Rinoa sat down on the floor as she 

ravenously ate her apple. In the process, her sleeve slipped. Squall noticed the 

bandages wrapped around her wrist. He grabbed her hand to examine the wrist.

          "Why did you try to commit suicide?" asked Squall. Rinoa noticed how close 

he was and blushed. She snatched her hand from his grip from him and backed 

away.

          "Like any other suicidal person. I had a shitty life," replied Rinoa.

          "That's true," agreed Squall. "But they all have different reasons."

          "What are your reasons?" he asked.

          _You're weak!_

_          You're ugly!_

_          You're all alone!_

_          No one cares for you!_

_          No one loves you!_

Rinoa was grabbing her head, trying to make the ugly words disappear out of 

her head.

          "Caraway?" asked a concerned Squall. He went closer to her.

          **_You're dead..._**

****

****The last voice was the loudest and most clear out of all the other voices.

          "Caraway!" Rinoa had fainted into his arms.

[*][*][*][*]

I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter. I sorta had a hard time starting this chapter, but I am satisfied with the ending. A small cliffhanger, it's not much, but I like it ^^. 

~Tenshi

**Reviewer's Corner:**

**Hope~**I'm praying it'll stay interesting till the last chapter ^^;;.

**Sakura Loga~Wellz**, I'm hoping this is long enough for you!

**Verdanii~**Here's your update ^^! 

**Selphie-Almasy14~**Rinoa IS psycho! Hehe. Thanks for the tip! Italics were crucial to this chapter!

**emina~**I can't wait to see how it turns out either! I never have anything planned 

-.-;;...

**Dark Angels~Wellz**, that's what I was aiming for. Thanks for reviewing!****


	3. Needles

**~Paranoia~**

***Needles***

"Are you sure she's alright, Doctor?" Rinoa slowly opened her eyes. her whole 

body felt strained and sore.

          "Yes," asserted the doctor, "She just fainted from the lack of food and sleep."

The doctor left the room.

          "Thanks..." mumbled Squall. He turned around and sighed, running his hand 

through his shaggy hair. When he looked up, he finally noticed Rinoa was awake.

          "You're awake." Rinoa took the needle out of her wrist.

          "Yup." 

          "...Why did you take that needle out?" asked Squall. "That clear liquid is 

providing your body with nutrients."

          "I hate needles," replied Rinoa listlessly. She was observing the scar on her 

wrist with glazed eyes.

          "Caraway?" Rinoa snapped out of her trance and realized she was bleeding.

          "Got a band-aid?" asked Rinoa.

          "It's somewhere around here..." said Squall, looking around the room. He 

spotted the first aid kit in a corner. 

          "Hey, your eyes--you have dark rings around your eyes!" commented Rinoa 

as Squall handed her the band-aid. She placed the band-aid on her wrist. Squall 

yawned.

          "Hey, what time is it? You didn't stay here overnight did you?" asked Rinoa. 

She saw the blanket on the recliner and his disheveled appearance.

          "..."

          "You did!" exclaimed Rinoa. She smiled. The smile ached because she hadn't 

smiled in such a long time...

          "Wow," chuckled Rinoa as she hugged her legs close to her chest. "Most 

psychiatrists would ditch their patients when something like this happens."

          "..."

          "Thanks...It..." Rinoa paused, contemplating whether she should let her guard 

down or not. She sighed. "It means a lot to me."

          The door opened and a nurse entered the room.

          "Dr. Leonhart, your lunch," said the nurse, handing Squall a paper bag.

          "Thank you." The nurse turned to the bed and found Rinoa.

          "Oh, you're awake! I'll go inform the doct-"

          "No!" The nurse turned around, confused.

          "What? Why?" asked the nurse.

          "I-I hate needles..." whispered Rinoa.

          "Caraway, why are you so afraid of needles?" asked Squall. Rinoa didn't hear 

him.

[*][*][*][*]

          _"Mommy!" called a girl. She looked into several rooms and frowned. She _

_noticed__ the room at the end of the hallway had its lights on. She ran to the room and _

_pushed__ the door to peek in._

_          "Mom-" The little girl found her mother with a strange man._

_          "Let go of me!" demanded the mother, trying to fight her way out of the _

_man's__ bone-crushing grip. The man said nothing and took something from his _

_pocket__._

_          "Who do you think you are!?" screamed the mother. "What are you doing!?"_

_          The man shoved the needle into the woman's arm and pushed down on the _

_syringe__. After all the fluid from the syringe seeped into the woman's bloodstream, _

_the__ man took the needle out and ran out the window with a grotesque smirk._

_          "Mommy? Who was he?" asked the little girl as she pushed the door all the _

_way__ and stepped into the room. The mother turned to her daughter._

_          "Honey, wh-" Suddenly, the mother began to shake uncontrollably._

_          "Mommy? What's wrong, Mommy?" asked the girl, scared. The mother's eyes _

_turned__ up as blood dribbled down her chin. The girl began to tremble now._

_          "Mommy?" The woman lost her balance. She fell forward--right on her _

_daughter__._

_          "M-Mommy!?" cried the girl under the woman. The girl struggled to get out, _

_but__ her mother was far too heavy for the girl to push away. Tears began to pour _

_from the girl's eyes._

_          "Mommy, why are you hurting me?" asked the girl. Then her eyes widened._

_          "Mommy...Wh-Why aren't  you...breathing?" The little girl's heart pounded _

_rapidly__. _

_          "Mommy's dead," she whispered in a horrified voice. The girl opened her lips _

_and__ let out an ear-piercing scream that would echo in her mind forever..._

[*][*][*][*]

Heyz! Hmmm...The first part sucks, I know, but I think I did pretty well at the end. I think it's creepy! Uh...I hope you know what I'm talking about at the end. If you haven't figured it out yet, the little girl's Rinoa. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, it'll probably have to last you for awhile because I have finals and tests towards the end of the month. So I think the next chapter is not coming out until next month, sorry! 

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I couldn't believe how many reviews I've received! ^^**

~Tenshi

**REVIEWER'S CORNER:**

**RavenWolf11~**Wellz, I'm glad you think it's good. Sometimes, I think my writing sucks, even after I've been writing for years. There are so many good writers out there!

**Selphie-Almasy14~**Wow, really!? I always thought my style of writing looked funky ^^;;.

**Evan'sRinoa~**Good thing looks can't kill, otherwise I couldn't write this chapter, huh? lolz. I'm sorry this chapter is kinda short--tons of homework and projects to turn in!!! This is where the "shitty" in "my life is shitty" comes in -.-;;;....

**Shadowed-Moon2525~**Okie...I've never been called a bastard by a reviewer before...This is so fun, torturing the readers and all....

**Sakura Loga~Oh**, good! At least someone thinks it's long! I also think Squall is cool...too bad he's only a fictional character...that I can make him do anything!!! HAHAHA!!!!!

**remote-mine~**I am so happy you think it's creepy! That's what I'm aiming for when I'm writing out the chapters!****


	4. Husband

**~Paranoia~**

***Husband***

"Caraway! Caraway!" called Squall, shaking Rinoa gently. "Wake up! Are you 

alright?"

          Rinoa groaned. She opened her eyes up, only to find cobalt blue eyes staring 

at her. She realized how close they were. She gently pushed him away.

          "Caraway, are you alright?" asked Squall, concerned. Rinoa turned away from 

him, hugging her knees. An image of her mother falling appeared again in her head. 

She shivered when the image of her mother was replaced with herself...

          "Is everything okay here?" asked the doctor, walking into the room. 

Apparently, the nurse had panicked and went to inform a doctor.

          "No! Go away--I'm perfectly fine!" said Rinoa, backing away from the doctor. 

He had a needle in his hand.

          "It's just a little shot. It'll help you go to sleep," said the doctor in a soft tone, 

reaching out to Rinoa to restrain her. "There's nothing to worry about."

          Rinoa got off the bed and kept backing away until her back hit a wall. She slid 

down the wall, her eyes getting watery.

          "No...No...Don't, please..." she begged softly, hugging her knees and rocking 

herself. "No..."

          The doctor kept advancing, ignoring her pleas. A hand on his shoulder 

stopped him.

          "I think she'll do fine without any sedations," said Squall. "I'll make sure she 

eats right."

          "Fine," sighed the doctor as he put the needle away. "But if I see her getting 

weaker..."

          "I get it. Don't worry. You can leave now," assured Squall. The doctor sighed 

again and left.

          "He's gone, Caraway." Rinoa stopped moving and looked up. Her tired eyes 

showed how grateful she was.

          "...My name is not Caraway. My name is Rinoa Heartilly," she said.

          "'Heartilly?'" echoed Squall. Rinoa nodded. She slowly got herself up.

          "Caraway..." scowled Rinoa. "I hate him."

          "You hate your father?"

          "I hate him!" repeated Rinoa. "He's not my father! I hate him!"

          "Why do you hate him so much? What has he done?" asked Squall.

          _You're dead..._

          Rinoa shook her head. She started to run.

          "I need to go!" she cried. Squall followed her. He was surprised how quick she 

was. She pushed several people out of her path and Squall followed. She finally 

stopped when she got to a large garden outside.

          "Ca--" Squall stopped himself. He almost called out "Caraway".

          "Aren't...Aren't the flowers pretty?" asked Rinoa, taking in deep breaths. Her 

legs were sore, her heart was pumping hastily, and she had a some difficulty 

breathing. 

          "Squall," said Rinoa, addressing him by his first name. "How old are you?"

          "I'll be twenty-two in a couple of months," said Rinoa.

          Squall cocked up an eyebrow as he watched her walk over to a bush of red 

flowers.

          "I don't see how this is relevant--"

          "Just answer the question," interrupted Rinoa.

          "...Twenty-four," answered Squall.

          "Twenty-four...Just like my husband..." mumbled Rinoa, her eyes dazed.

          "Husband?"

          "Aren't you a little too young to be a psychiatrist?" asked Rinoa, forcing a 

smile. "Oh! You must be one of those prodigies I always hear about!"

          "...I guess," said Squall. 

          "My husband...He was smart too..." whispered Rinoa. The flower she was 

holding became bruised in her clenched hand.

          "...Rinoa...?" murmured Squall.

          "Your husband..." started Squall, "What is he like?"

          Rinoa closed her eyes and sighed.

          "Dead."

          Squall's eyes widened. He was surprised when he found out about her 

husband--he was even more surprised to discover her husband died.

          "Don't you read the newspaper? Or watch the news?" asked Rinoa. The truth 

was, Squall was always focusing on healing his patients. He didn't have time for T.V. 

and such trivial things. He didn't even give himself time for a haircut.

          "His death was reported everywhere. You should start reading the 

newspaper," said Rinoa. 

          She looked as if she was going to cry. Squall wasn't sure what to do. Would 

he be getting too attached to her if he held her?

          "Rinoa!" cried a voice. Rinoa's eyes widened. She turned around.

          "Rinoa! It's really you!" shouted another voice. Rinoa just stood there and 

watched as her friends ran to her.

[*][*][*][*]

Heyz! Hmm...Was that a cliffy? I'm not sure--I'm so retarded!!! Sorry it's so short, but I think I was going nowhere so I stopped. I wasn't even sure whether I was going to write another chapter today or not -_-;;...Wellz, I updated early, you all happy ^^?

But don't expect new chapter posted next week--Next week is finals for the first semester. I really hope it'll go by fast -_-;;...

~Tenshi

**REVIEWER'S CORNER:**

**SoulSwhispers666**~Wow, seriously? I always thought Squinoa was the most popular coupling authors write about. And thanks for recommending Reign of Shadows! I really enjoyed reading it ^__^!

**Verdanii**~I know the ficcy you're talking about! Reign of Shadows, right? I like that fic more than mine too ^^! Me thinks Rin is always going to put up a fight when revealing her memories. Yup...

**Shadowed-Moon2525**~Hehe, sorry if it's too short -_-;;. I kinda have a lot of homework and projects I'm procrastinating over -_-;;. It's really a bad habit...

**Melancholy Dreamer~I'm** so happy you enjoy reading my ficcy! Me hopes you enjoyed this one as well...I think it's a bit short tho...

**Sakura Loga~Hehe**!!! I think everyone has a little paranoia once in a while. I do too--after I've had my healthy doses of sugar! I scare my brothers when I'm hyper--specially when I start jumping around them and screaming ^^!!


End file.
